Endless Love
by Jax01
Summary: The trouble was over, or so they thought... Darien and Serena's love is tested again as the Ominous Clouds threaten their future.
1. Default Chapter Title

ENDLESS LOVE part 1  
  
Written by Jackie Punsal  
  
  
  
"So perfect," Dark Cumulus said as she eyed the picture that was lying on her desk. She ran her long fingernails down the sides. "Look how perfect their life is and look how miserable ours is." Her eyes lingered on the picture then she slowly looked up at Cirrus, who was glancing out of the window. "How long do we have to stay in hiding? Huh? I can't stay in here any longer. We cannot hide all our lives, especially from someone who we can easily defeat. We must punish them for what they have done to us."  
  
"We can't go out," Cirrus said in a stern voice. "Not now, especially not now. After the defeat of our Dark Moon brothers, they'll be expecting an attack."  
  
"Cirrus," Cumulus tapped her long, long nails on the mahogany. "The death of the Dark Moon happened years ago. Their guard is down, now is the time for the rise of the Ominous Clouds. Our numbers have risen, we can easily defeat those insolent fools."  
  
"No," He was still looking outside the window, eyeing the castle suspiciously. "I know the king, he's still on guard, watching and waiting. They're too strong for us, despite how large our army is. As long as they've got that damn Silver Crystal, they will still defeat us."  
  
"Then what the hell are we going to do? We can't steal the crystal now. It's too heavily guarded. We can't go to the past and steal it because we'll just fail like the Dark Moon. I don't want to live like this anymore." Cumulus got up and walked towards Cirrus. "We're rotting away like meat. I'm so sick of pretending to be so damn cheery all the time."  
  
There was a long pause. Cirrus was still looking out of the window. Cumulus attempted to touch him, but abandoned the idea. She walked back to the desk and held up the picture. "Look at them. So perfect aren't they? Neo-Queen Serenity with her beautiful family." Her fingernail grazed the surface of the picture.  
  
Cirrus turned around to face her. "What did you say?"  
  
"I said nothing. They're just the perfect little family."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Huh?" Cumulus dropped the picture and looked up at him.  
  
"What is the only thing other than the crystal that has kept the royal family strong?"  
  
"I don't know, a big ass army?"  
  
"No, their unity."  
  
Cumulus eyed Cirrus; "I don't get you."  
  
He grabbed the picture away from her. "Look, the royal court is held like a chain. They are strong because they are together. So..."  
  
She grabbed the picture back. "So if they aren't together..."  
  
"They aren't strong. No resistance, easy defeat, no more hiding."  
  
"No more perfect family." Cumulus said as a bolt of light escaped her eyes and singed the edges of the picture.  
********  
  
Serena opened the closet and began to search for something. She started to fling various objects out. She was creating an awful mess. Luna was walking down the hall and noticed the pile of junk.   
"Serena!! What on earth are you doing?"  
  
"I'm just looking for something. Oh now where is it? I could've sworn that I saw it here before." And continued to search.  
  
Luna tried to avoid the flying objects headed her way. "What exactly....are...you...looking...for?"  
  
"Oh, just...There it is!!!" She came out of the closet with something in her hand.  
  
"I hope you're going to clean this mess, your mother is going to have a fit. What did you find?" Luna tried to climb over the pile of junk but fell over.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know." She looked the object in her hand over. "I hope this still works."  
  
"What still works? Serena..." Luna paused when she heard a familiar melody. She finally managed to go over the pile to see Serena kneeling on the floor holding a locket. Luna crept up towards her. "I didn't know you still had that." She seemed mesmerized by the song.  
  
"I need it Luna. I need it to remind me that we are destined to be together." Serena said as she caressed the locket.  
  
Luna came a little closer towards her. "What happened, did you and Darien have another fight?"  
  
"No, it's not that. I'm afraid that he's too good for me. He's wonderful. He's so smart and mature. I don't think he deserves a ditz like me." Serena's eyes started to tear up. She sniffed and wiped them. "I miss him so much Luna. I know we call each other almost everyday, but it's not the same. I'm afraid that something might happen to him, like last time...I can't lose him..." Serena started to sob.  
  
Luna didn't know what to do. It surprised her that Serena had matured so much. She put her paw on her knee and reassured her. "Now, now, don't cry. Serena, you and Darien love each other so much, nothing can change that. I'm sure he's going to be fine. He's coming back from the States in two days, isn't he?"  
  
Serena nodded.  
  
"See? Then the two of you will be together again. In the meantime, I'm sure that he'll be calling soon. Don't worry."   
  
"Thank you Luna." Serena said as she petted her. She gently closed the locket. The phone rang. "Serena! Pick up the phone, it's for you, it's Darien." Serena's mom yelled from downstairs. In an instant Serena ran out of the room, leaving Luna in the aftershock.  
*******  
  
"It's such a beautiful day!" Lita said as she looked towards the sky. "Barely a cloud in the sky."  
  
"I know," Mina replied, "It's been a while since we had a day like this."  
  
Mina, Lita, Raye, and Amy were in the park. Mina and Lita were sitting on the bench, Raye was standing by them and Amy was sitting on the floor with her nose in a book. "What are you reading Amy?" Lita said as she tried to catch a glimpse of the cover.  
  
"Huh?" Amy said, "Oh, um...just a textbook for next year."  
  
"A textbook?" Mina said. "Damn girl!! It's summer, we don't need to read any more books. It's also a beautiful day, enjoy it."  
  
Amy blushed a little and pushed the book in her backpack.   
  
"Actually," Artemis said as he hopped down from the bench, "Mina, shouldn't you be the one reading the books? I mean, you don't want to fall behind again."  
  
Mina frowned and kicked Artemis. "Shut up."  
  
All the girls started to giggle. "Speaking about falling behind," Raye said, "Where is Serena?"  
  
"I don't know," Lita said as she covered her eyes from the sun. "She said that she would meet us here at 5."  
  
"Well, it's 5:30." Raye said as she started to pace around. "That meatball head. She's always late. Does anyone know where she is?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe she went to the Crown." Mina chimed in, "I heard that there was a new Sailor V game."  
  
"Nah, I just came from there," Lita said. The girls looked at her. "What? I just went there to try the game." They continued to look at her skeptically. "Seriously, do you guys honestly think that I would go after Andrew even if he's taken?"   
  
They eyed her then turned to await Amy's response. Amy had snuck the textbook again. She looked up and realized that everybody was looking at her. She quickly hid the book. "I don't know where she is." She noticed that Luna was coming down the street. "But Luna would know."  
  
Luna strolled to the bench. "Hello girls, Artemis."  
  
"Luna," Raye said, "Where's Serena? She was supposed to meet us 30 minutes ago."  
  
Luna took her place beside Amy. "Sorry, but she sent me to tell you to go to the movies without her."  
  
"What? Why couldn't she tell us that before." Raye threw up her arms. "I can't believe her. She doesn't think of anyone but herself."  
  
"Why did she stand us up?" Mina said.  
  
"Well," Luna began. She couldn't believe she was actually standing up for Serena. "She didn't exactly stand you up. She's on the phone with Darien."  
  
"Oh." Raye said and put her arms down. "Is everything okay with them?"  
  
"Yes, I think so. But something is bothering me." Luna said as she lay down. "Serena hasn't been acting herself lately. She's been moping around and has been depressed all the time. Right before I left, I found her sobbing her eyes out."  
  
"She's been really down lately." Mina said as looked down.  
  
"I know." Amy said, "I think being away from Darien for so long really depressed her. Especially since he was attacked the last time he left."  
  
"Those two have been through so much," Lita said sympathetically. "I don't even remember the last time they were actually left alone."  
  
"But isn't Darien coming home soon?" Raye tried to perk the convo up. "As soon as he comes back we should leave those two by themselves. Besides, there hasn't been any demons or monsters or other evil beings attacking earth. They should be left alone."  
  
All of them nodded. Mina however looked up and asked Raye with a smirk on her face. "Leave them alone to do what, huh Raye?"  
  
"Haha very funny," Raye said as she blushed a little. "Shut up. You know what I mean."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I give up."  
  
"Mina, sometimes you can be a real pervert." Lita said  
  
"I was just kidding guys. It was an open shot, I had to take it."  
  
"Sure you did."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Both cats sighed as the girls bickered.  
********  
  
"Two days right?"   
  
"Two days." Darien was on the phone. "I'll be home in two days."  
  
"Good." Serena said on the other end. "Be careful. I miss you so much."  
  
"I miss you too. It's been so long since I held you. But I'll be back soon." Darien sat back in his chair. The airplane experienced a little turbulence. "Uh. Serena I got to go pack. I'll call you before I leave tomorrow."  
  
"Ok. I love you."  
  
"I love you too. Get some sleep and say hi to everyone for me." He hung up. The plane continued to shake. He held a picture of him and Serena in his hand. He had left early and planned to surprise her. The time away from Serena was agony for him he couldn't wait to see her again.   
  
The captain beeped in. Ding-dong. "Um, we're experiencing a bit of turbulence. There has been some unexpected storm over Tokyo. We'll be entering the airport within the hour."  
  
"Strange," Darien thought to himself. "The meteorologist said that the skies were beautiful in Tokyo."  
*********  
  
Darien opened his umbrella and stepped outside. It wasn't raining as hard but it was drizzling. He paid the cabdriver and just stood there outside his apartment building. "It's nice to be back home." Suddenly he heard the sound of a cart coming towards him. He turned around and saw a woman with a flower cart. "Sir, would you like to buy a lovely bouquet of flowers for your love?"  
  
Darien thought for a while, but he decided to buy them, they would be a nice supplement when he surprises Serena. "Sure." He walked towards the cart and picked out a nice bouquet of daisies. When the woman picked up the flowers to give it to him, Darien noticed that she had the longest nails he had ever seen. "Here you go your highness."  
  
Darien laughed a little. "Huh? What do you mean by that?" He said as he paid her.  
  
"Nothing," The woman said and smiled evilly. "King Endymion."  
  
Darien looked up. "How the hell..." Suddenly there was a hot feeling in the back of his neck. He lost all feeling in his body and fell down. The woman looked at him, smiling wickedly as his eyesight went dark and he slipped into unconsciousness.  
********  
  
"Um...I'm not sure. I think I'll have just a soda." Serena said as she sat down in the restaurant booth. She put her head down and started to gaze outside the window.  
  
"Only a soda?" Lita, Amy, Mina, Raye, and Luna gasped.   
  
She nodded and continued to stare outside. It was raining ferociously. Serena didn't move.  
  
"Serena, are you ok?" Lita tapped her on the shoulder.  
  
Serena looked up and blinked a couple of times. "Yeah, I fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?" She said as she smiled.  
  
"You're not acting right. You mope around and this is the first time in a long time that you came out and hung out. Darien is coming back soon so don't be such a bummer." Raye said as she sipped the soda she had just received.  
  
"I don't know," Serena said as she put her head down again, only this time she was facing the group. "Sorry, guys if I've been such a downer, but I don't know. I know Darien is coming back, but I can't shake this feeling that something's not right. I'm so afraid that he changed." She faced the window again. "I'm so afraid that he won't want me anymore."  
  
All of them just stared at her. They didn't know how to respond. Raye finally put her hand on Serena's shoulder. Serena turned to face her, tears were flooding down her cheeks. "Serena," Raye said softly, "I'm sure that he still feels the same about you. You two were meant to be together. You two have been through too much for him to give it up. I mean, how many times did he risk his butt for you?"   
  
Serena smiled and wiped her eyes. "Thanks Raye." Then looked up to face the rest. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate that you're trying to cheer me up."  
  
"Well then." Mina said as she scanned the menu. "Now that we got that mess straightened out, Serena eat something!! You're scaring the hell out of me!" All of them laughed.  
  
Serena smiled. This was the first time she felt happy in a long time. Her friends were so great. She glanced up and saw a hint of green pass her eyesight. She focused her eyes and saw a familiar figure. The figure looked her straight in the eye and started his way out the door. "Darien?" She whispered. The table fell silent.  
  
"Serena, what's the matter?" Amy said.  
  
"Um...guys," She said and started her way out the booth. Raye got up to let her go. "I've got to go. I have to...clean my room." She got up, grabbed her umbrella, and left the restaurant. They just watched her quizzically.  
  
Serena scanned the street and started to run. Her shoes splashed against the wet pavement and the raindrops created a rhythmic tone. "Darien!" She yelled as she approached the figure ahead of her. He stopped and faced her. She slowed down and caught her breath. She stared at his face. Something was different about it, she couldn't tell what.  
  
"Serena." Darien said. A strange glint of light passed his eyes.  
  
"Darien, I didn't know that you were here. I thought you were coming in the day after tomorrow." Serena looked at him skeptically. "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I took an earlier flight," Darien said and looked away. "I guess I couldn't wait to get home."  
  
"Oh, Darien!" Serena said as she ran to hug him. Her umbrella fell to her side as she went under his. "I've missed you so much!" When she embraced him, she didn't feel him hug her back. He stepped back, almost pushing her away into the rain. "Darien?"  
  
"Serena..." He faced her. "I've got to tell you something."  
  
Serena stood there under the rain. Her hair all wet and frizzy, even her odangos began to droop. The setting was all too familiar to her.   
  
"I've spent so much time away from you." He began.   
The pit in Serena's stomach began to grow and make her weak. She felt like she was going to faint. She knew what he was going to say.  
"People change, I've changed Serena." He said. His eyes still piercing into hers. She couldn't believe that this was happening. "I don't think that we can go back to what were before."  
  
"What do you mean, Darien?" She knew very well what he meant. She just wanted to know if he felt anything for her. Serena couldn't forget how intense his eyes had become. Even if she closed her eyes, they still burned through her mind. They were not the soft, gentle eyes she knew.  
  
"I mean..." Darien said. His gaze never detoured. "I don't love you anymore."  
  
Serena felt crushed. She blinked hard trying to make sure it wasn't a dream. Her eyes always opened to the same image. Her tears mixed with the raindrops that were running down her face. "You don't love me anymore? You mean you lied to me? You never missed me? All those times on the phone, you lied to me?"  
  
He closed his eyes momentarily and then nodded slowly.  
  
She began to shake her head. "No, no, I can't believe this. Darien, you can't just say that. We are destined to be together. What about our future? What about Crystal Tokyo? What about...Rini?" She shook her head continuously. "Why are you doing this?"  
  
"Serena, I'm sorry, but the future isn't etched in stone. Things change." He said and started to turn away.  
  
"Things change? Darien, no, no, don't go. Wait!" She took something from her pocket. He turned again. "Darien, look me in the eye and say that this doesn't mean anything to you. Tell me that this locket doesn't symbolize our love and the pain we had to endure to keep it." She held the locket in front of him. Her hand began to tremble as she opened the locket. "Tell me it's worthless."  
  
Darien stood for a moment and slowly walked towards her. He held his hand out to take it. Serena's hopes rose. He picked it up from her hand and looked it over. He looked her in the eye and said, "This means nothing to me." He dropped it and Serena watched in horror as it fell to the ground and broke. He said nothing else and left her to pick up the scattered remains of their broken love. 


	2. Default Chapter Title

ENDLESS LOVE  
  
Chapter 2  
  
By Jackie Punsal  
  
  
It was dark; Darien's eyes couldn't focus well. His head was   
hurting, like there was a knife behind his neck. He lifted his hand to   
try to rub his eyes, but then he realized that his arms were   
restrained. "Shit," he whispered as he tried to move. He could barely   
move; he was so badly beaten. There was a graze above his left eyebrow   
and the blood from his nose had dried. He groaned as a sharp pain   
pierced his side. Suddenly, the door opened and a bright light flooded   
in. Darien winced and saw a silhouette step in.  
  
"Ah, I see that our dear king has awakened," Cirrus said. A slow   
smirk ran across his face. "So good of you to grace us with your   
presence, your highness. Would you like something to eat? Drink? I'm   
sure that the dirty water beside you will suffice."  
  
Darien stared at him with deep contempt. He didn't answer. His   
head turned down. Cirrus's smile turned into a frown and anger filled   
his expression. He stooped down and smacked Darien. Darien's nose   
began to bleed again.   
  
"Don't you dare turn your face away from me when I talk to you,   
" Cirrus raged, "I won't tolerate it."  
  
Darien slowly looked up and spit in Cirrus's face.  
  
"You son of a bitch!" Cirrus raised his hand to strike him again,   
but he was stopped by Cumulus.  
  
"Cirrus," Cumulus held his hand from striking. "We don't want his   
highness to be too badly beaten. We want him conscious enough to   
witness his future crumble."   
  
Cirrus looked at her and rose. She in turn went down to face   
Darien. Cumulus grabbed his face to look at her. Her sharp nails dug   
deep into his flesh. "Besides, his insolence only justifies our   
cause." She let one nail trace the contours of his face. "So handsome,   
even when he was younger. Too bad you have to die." She shoved his   
face violently and got up.  
  
"What do you want from me?" Darien said as he struggled to face   
his enemies.  
  
"Why Endymion, we want only for you to experience the pain that   
you will put us through." Cirrus said as he stepped closer to Darien.   
"For years my people have led a life of shame and torment. We have   
watched our brothers die under the hand of you and your court. We have   
hidden and led a life of secrecy, banished from a place we once called   
our home." He started to smile. "Now we will seek our revenge." He   
started to walk away.  
  
"Sailor Moon will kill you. You are no match for her, she is too   
strong." Darien said in a hoarse voice. Cirrus turned around, his   
smile even wider. He and Cumulus started to laugh.  
  
"Sailor Moon? Haha." Cirrus laughed even harder. "I don't think   
Neo-Queen Serenity can fight...now that her heart is crushed."  
  
"What?" Darien's anger exploded. "What the hell did you do to   
her? If you laid a finger on her, I'll..." He lunged forward but was   
hindered by his restraints.  
  
"You'll what? You're in no position to threaten me." Cirrus   
kicked him. Darien, obviously hurt by the blow, fell hard against the   
wall. "Besides," Cirrus said as he regained his composure, "How could   
I hurt her when you were the one who broke her heart?"  
  
Darien looked up in confusion as Cirrus threw a small cube to the   
ground. On impact, a light emerged from the cube. A holographic image   
appeared before Darien, replaying the events that happened earlier.   
Darien couldn't believe what he was seeing; he was the one talking to   
Serena, he was the one making her cry. The holograph looked so real   
that he struggled to go to Serena, to hold her, to comfort her. But   
the holograph ended and the light returned to the cube. "How did you   
do that?"  
  
"Oh it was fairly simple," Cirrus said. His figure started to   
shift. Changes occurred throughout his body in a ripple effect. Soon   
Darien was looking at his own face. "If you have the right costume."   
Cirrus said in Darien's voice. "You see Endymion, the Ominous Clouds   
possess a rare feature. We can alter our molecular makeup to resemble   
any thing we want, from just a single touch." Cirrus slowly morphed   
back to his original form. He cracked his neck, "Ahh, if I could only   
come near enough to touch the king in the future, I wouldn't have to   
deal with this shit."   
  
"How could you do that?" Darien said, his eyes flared with rage.   
"How could you be so cold, so heartless?" He turned his head down in   
exhaustion. "Just kill me and spare Serena. She doesn't deserve   
this."  
  
"Oh, we will Endymion." Cirrus said as he started his way out of   
the room. "We can't have you go back to your lovey and ruin our plan.   
But I'm afraid that we can't spare anyone. We have to destroy the rest   
of the chain, now that we have broken the strongest link." Cumulus   
followed him out and shut the door, leaving Darien in darkness once   
again.  
  
***************  
  
"I wonder where Serena went." Lita said as she stirred her soda   
with her straw. "She was in an awful hurry."  
  
"That was very peculiar," Amy said thoughtfully. "She looked   
like she saw a ghost. She just jumped up in the middle of lunch..."   
  
"That's nothing like her." Mina butt in. She looked down "I   
still think that we should've ran after her to find out what was up."  
  
"No..." Raye said firmly. She looked at the group. "Look guys,   
I think that it would be better if she spent some time by herself. You   
saw how she was when she was telling us about her problem. She barely   
got a word out. Serena just needs time to sort things out. The best we   
can do is wait until she's ready to confide in us."  
  
There was a brief silence.  
  
"Raye's right," Luna finally said as she stood up. "We should   
just leave her alone. Besides, Darien's coming soon. When they are   
together again, she'll realize that there was nothing to worry about."  
  
All the girls nodded. A tiny beep came from Lita's watch. She   
glanced at it. "Guys, it's getting late." She started to rise and the   
rest followed. "I think we better go before the rain gets worse."   
  
All of them stood by the restaurant's entrance. They were   
opening their umbrellas.  
  
"It's really pouring." Mina commented, "This is so weird,   
especially since yesterday was such a nice day." She turned around to   
see Raye staring into the rain. "What's the matter Raye?"  
  
"I don't know...I feel something." Raye said as she squinted.   
"Something strange about this weather...it doesn't feel pure...it   
doesn't feel...natural."  
  
"What do you mean?" Lita said. "Is there something evil?"  
  
"I don't know," Raye put on her hood. "It's too vague to see. I   
think we better keep our eyes open just in case."  
  
******  
  
Serena glanced up. It was beginning to get cold. The rain   
drenched her entire body. She curled herself into a tight ball and sat   
on the wet cement, trembling. Her vision was blurred from all her   
crying, the raindrops beat savagely on her bare head. Her hair had   
fallen down and her umbrella now lay a yard away from her. Just a foot   
away from her lay the fragments of her locket. Their locket, the   
locket that represented their bond, lay in pieces scattered before her.   
She unwove herself from her safe position and started to pick up the   
remains. Serena held up the locket and was startled that it started to   
play its melody. The tune that she once cherished started to wither   
away as it slowed down and came to a stop. She squeezed the broken   
star in her hand and started to weep, only this time no tears came   
down. She had cried all her tears. "How could he do this? How could   
he do this?" She whispered. "How can all my dreams, all my happiness   
end in just one single moment?" She began to rock. "There has to be   
something wrong, he must be protecting me....But...he broke...our   
locket...." She tried to sob again. "I was right..." She dug her head   
deep into her arms and felt the raindrops slow until the rainfall   
finally halted.  
  
***********  
  
"What is that?" Lita said as she spotted an object that was   
blocking the sidewalk.  
  
"It looks like someone's hurt." Mina said as she picked up her pace.  
  
"Oh my gosh..." Amy gasped as she brought one hand to her mouth.   
"It's Serena!" She started to run towards the figure that was sitting   
on the ground a few feet away. All the girls started to run with her.  
  
"What happened to her?" Raye asked as they came closer to her.   
"I knew I felt something, I hope she isn't hurt."  
  
The four girls slowed down as they approached the trembling girl.   
Her head was down and her hair was out of place. Serena looked up, her   
eyes bloodshot and her face tear-stained. Raye breathed a sigh of   
relief when she realized that Serena wasn't physically hurt. She bent   
down and sat next to Serena. "What's the matter?" She tried to   
make her voice as comforting as possible, but she couldn't hide the   
fear that she had in her eyes. She was so afraid that Serena was   
harmed. She slowly placed her arm around her friend. "Are you ok?   
Did you fall? How long were you out here?"  
  
Lita, Ami, and Mina knelt down in front of Serena, each trying to   
comfort her. Luna jumped down from Amy's shoulder and nudged Serena's   
leg with her nose. "Serena, please tell us what happened. We can't   
help you if you won't tell us."  
  
Serena started to rock back and forth again. She held her legs   
close to her body, her eyes stared blankly beyond her knees. "I was   
right." She whispered.  
  
"Huh?" Raye said. She then noticed that Serena was holding   
something. Raye brought her arm from around and slowly opened Serena's hand.   
The girls all gasped. The broken locket lay in Serena's   
bleeding hand.   
  
"Serena, what happened? Who broke your locket?" Amy asked as   
she picked the shards that dug deep into Serena's palm. Mina picked up   
any pieces that fell to the ground and Lita ripped a strip from her   
long skirt. Serena sat there, motionless and speechless as Amy slowly   
wrapped her hand with the piece of cloth. "Thank you." She finally   
whispered and returned to her initial position.  
  
"Serena please tell us what's wrong." Lita pleaded. "We want to   
help."  
  
No answer.  
  
"Serena, this isn't fair," Raye said. "We are so worried about   
you, please answer, who broke the locket?"  
  
Serena looked into her friends' concerned faces. "Darien broke   
it."  
  
"Darien?" The girls shot confused looks toward each other.  
  
Serena put her head down again and mumbled, "He came back early.   
I saw him at the restaurant. He was the one who broke our locket..."   
She started to cry, still no tears. "He doesn't want the locket   
anymore...he doesn't want me..." She looked up. Her face had turned   
red as she tried cry. "I told you he wouldn't love me anymore."  
  
The girls all hugged her and tried to comfort her.  
  
"Maybe he's just protecting you." Mina said, "Raye felt   
something earlier, there might be another danger that's coming."  
  
Serena shook her head. "But he broke the locket...and looked me   
straight in the eye...He wouldn't go that far just to protect me..."   
  
They thought for a moment. None of them had a response.   
  
"Come on," Raye said after a few minutes of silence. "We should   
get you inside before you catch a cold. We can go to the shrine and   
finish talking." She and the other girls helped Serena to her feet.  
  
***********  
  
They slowly walked through the streets. Surprisingly the streets   
were empty and the skies were unusually dark for the time of day. Raye   
suddenly stopped, leading the other girls to a halt also. "That   
feeling," She started to look around. "I can sense it again...this time   
it's stronger...guys, we better get Serena to somewhere safe." They   
picked up their pace and covered Serena's head. A fog started to creep   
around them, soon they were unable to see where they were heading.   
  
"It's like a we're lost in a cloud." Mina commented.  
  
"There's evil in this cloud," Raye whispered. "Pure evil."   
She turned to Serena, who lay limply onto Lita. "We have to be careful."   
  
They huddled close together, defensively guarding Serena. Amy   
brought out her handheld computer and typed ferociously. "My computer   
isn't picking up anything," She said, her eyes still fixated on the   
screen. "Wait, something is coming near us."  
  
"From where?" Mina looked around.  
  
"I can't tell." Amy said, still typing. "The computer cannot   
distinguish the object's position. It's coming closer...wait, the   
computer is giving me some coordinates." She slowly looked up. "It's   
directly above us." As soon as the words escaped her lips a red bolt   
came from above them.   
  
"Watch out!" Artemis yelled.  
  
They jumped in time to dodge the bomb. The smoke cleared and the   
fog rolled out.   
  
"What was that?" Lita said as she recovered from the   
hit. The girls got up, except Serena who was still on the ground,   
frightened like a kitten.  
  
"I don't know," Mina said. "But it sure was strong." Their sight   
had become visible and realized that they were in a dead-end alley.  
  
"I'm surprised you weren't killed," a voice called from above   
them. They all looked up. Cumulus stood on top of the adjacent   
building. "I was sure that it was strong enough."  
  
"Who are you?" Raye yelled at her.  
  
"I'm Dark Cumulus, but I don't think it matters," She jumped down   
to a lamp post. They stood their ground. "You're going to die anyway."   
She let another bolt of light escape her eyes and attacked the girls.   
Raye reacted quickly and transformed.  
  
"Mars Crystal Power, Makeup!" All the rest except Serena followed   
her lead.   
  
"Jupiter Crystal Power, Makeup!"  
  
"Venus Crystal Power, Makeup!"  
  
"Mercury Crystal Power, Makeup!" They landed and they were fully   
transformed. Mars looked back to Serena who was clutching her brooch "No,  
Serena, just stay there, you're in no shape to fight."   
She looked towards Cumulus. "Mars Flame Sniper!"   
  
Cumulus quickly jumped out of the way and landed on another post.   
She laughed, "I'm so glad you transformed, I was beginning to think   
that this fight would be too easy. Hehe."  
  
"What the hell do you want?" Jupiter raged at her.  
  
She continued to laugh, "Why for all of you to die, of course."   
She said matter-of-factly and jumped down.  
  
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Jupiter tried to catch her off guard,   
but she was unsuccessful. Cumulus had dodged her attack. "Damn   
it!"  
  
"Oh don't be so cross Jupiter, it's not your fault that you're   
too slow." Cumulus toyed with her opponents. Cumulus jumped high and   
glanced at Serena in the corner. "Oh," She landed on top of the   
building again, the Senshi got ready to attack her. A smile spread   
across Cumulus's face, "Neo Queen Serenity...my, my, my...what's the   
matter?" She said with fake sympathy. "Catch a little cold? Why don't   
you join us...it would be fun. You could regain your....damn it!   
Shit!" Cumulus looked at her shoulder, it was grazed and bleeding.   
Venus had attacked her with "Venus Love and Beauty Shock." Although the   
attack hurt her, unfortunately it didn't maim Cumulus. She started to   
laugh again. "Well played Venus, but not good enough." Cumulus held her   
hand on the wound. She lifted it and the graze disappeared. The   
senshi gazed up at her in shock, but continued to attack.   
  
"Mercury Aqua Mirage!" Mercury screamed. Her attack was also   
left unfruitful.  
  
"She's too damn quick!!" Mars yelled. She looked up to see   
Cumulus laughing her head off.  
  
"This is too much fun!" Cumulus said with a little giggle. "But   
I'm afraid that I should finish the job I was sent to do." She did a   
flip and landed on the ground. She flicked her wrist and revealed her   
fingernails. With her left hand she deftly took each from the cuticle.   
Every time she removed one, another long one grew in its place. She   
now had unlimited daggers to throw. She did another flip in the air   
and did an air assault above the Senshi. They dodged away. Venus,   
showing some acrobatics of her own, jumped and did a quick Crescent   
beam towards Cumulus. Cumulus seemed to curve herself around the   
attack. She landed and raised her hand towards Venus. A strong force   
pushed her into the wall of building. Two nails flew from Cumulus's   
fingertips and pinned her down.  
  
Jupiter ran towards Cumulus in an attempt to ram her, but she was   
brought to halt. "I can't move!" Jupiter yelled. Mars and Mercury   
were also frozen on the spot when they attempted to attack Cumulus.   
Cumulus smiled evilly. She rose her hand higher and their bodies   
followed.   
  
Serena watched in horror as her friends were tortured. She got   
up, her legs still shaky. "No, Serena." Luna said as her head poked   
out from the dumpster beside her. "You can't transform now, you're too  
weak to fight her."   
  
Serena grabbed her brooch. "I can't just sit and watch her do   
that to them. I have to do this. Besides, the crystal will give me the   
strength I need." She stepped forward. "Moon Eternal Makeup!"  
  
***********  
  
Cumulus brought her hands even higher and suddenly plunged them   
down.  
  
"Stop!"   
  
Cumulus rose her head. The girls were just inches away from   
being slammed into the pavement. Cumulus's grin grew larger. "Why,   
Neo-Queen Serenity, you finally decided to join the fun and transformed   
into the legendary Sailor Moon." She snapped her fingers and let the   
girls fall to the ground with a thud. "I am very impressed."  
  
"You should be." Sailor Moon said as she stepped forward. She   
was still unstable. The surge of energy from the crystal had left her   
trembling even more. "I am certainly not having a great day today, and   
you had to come and ruin it some more. Well, I'm not having it. I   
stand for love and justice and all broken hearts. I will punish you,   
in the name of the moon!"  
  
"Cute." Cumulus said totally unaffected by the speech. "That's   
awfully nice Sailor Moon, but I'm sorry, I just can't let you do   
that." Cumulus threw five daggers (nails) straight at Sailor Moon.   
Sailor Moon rolled away from the attack. As soon as she got up a bolt   
of light went towards her. Surprised at the attack, Sailor Moon was   
caught off guard and flew to the wall. She hit the brick wall and five   
daggers followed. She was pinned her down. "God, this is too easy!"   
Cumulus exclaimed, "I've got the legendary Sailor Moon trapped and   
cornered. How does it feel, huh, Sailor Moon?" She didn't answer, her   
body was so weak. She hung limply on the wall. "Aww...too tired to   
fight back huh? Well, we'll end that soon." Cumulus retrieved a sharp   
nail from her finger and prepared to throw it at Sailor Moon.   
  
"Aww shit!" She dropped the nail and looked to her leg. The two   
cats had bitten her. "Troublesome cats. Why can't I just kill someone   
in peace?" A bolt came from her eyes and blasted the cats off her leg.   
Luna and Artemis flew back and slammed into the dumpster. "I hate   
cats." Cumulus took another nail. "Good bye Sailor Moon. Tell me how   
happy your life is when your dead." She flung it at her aiming for her   
heart. Sailor Moon screamed in pain as the nail pierced through her   
flesh....  
  



End file.
